When you go to an interview, you must seize the opportunity to know and understand what your potential employer is like. Don't miss out on this chance. It doesn't matter if your interviewer is a manager or someone from human resources, each opportunity is a unique moment to determine if you really want to work there.
I share with you a series of questions that will give you very juicy information to understand what's going on within the company.
1. How is the company doing economically?
If you haven't found this information beforehand with a Google search, it's very important to ask. Working for a company that has just raised an investment round will not be the same as working for a company with several years of losses or steady growth. Knowing their situation gives us an extra signal of possible future and impending challenges.
2. What is the most common employee complaint?
There's no such thing as a perfect company. At all of them, the employees complain about something that needs improvement. Do the bathrooms have issues? Is the kitchen not big enough? Are the chairs uncomfortable? Does the bonus policy cause problems? It's important that companies can show how they listen to their employees and are working to improve. And you are going to know something that currently doesn't function in the best way, or was recently resolved.
3. Is the position new or is it a replacement?
It's important to know what a company genuinely wants for a new role, what are the targets, why they decided to create it, what specific needs led to it, and what they wish to resolve. And even more so, why do they think you would be the right person for the role?
Some time ago, one of the most important tech companies in Latin America showed a concrete interest for me to fill a managerial position in a new area. They were convinced that my experience in the sector was ideal for this vacancy. However, during our conversation, a discrepancy between what they said they needed in theory and what they were actually looking for became evident, so I decided to disregard the process. It's important to find coherence between what the company claims to need and what they are really seeking.
If the search is to replace someone, the situation is very different. Did this person resign? Were they fired? Did they switch positions or were they promoted? In any case, what was the exact reason for them leaving the position?
4. What is the company and department's turnover rate?
Don't be afraid to ask this question. It will demonstrate your interest in knowing the place and making decisions with enough information to do so.
Whatever the turnover rate may be, it's important to understand why this occurs and how the company tries to improve and change it. If the turnover rate is high, it usually shows a stressful environment, lack of recognition, or other types of problems.
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Leer "Las preguntas que tenes que hacer en una entrevista para conocer realmente a la empresa." en Español